Michael O'Connor (Rugby player)
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Michael David O'Connor (born in 1960, Nowra, New South Wales) was an Australian rugby league and rugby union player - a dual international. He represented the Wallabies in 12 Tests from 1979 to 1982 and the Kangaroos in 17 Tests from 1985 to 1990.
[edit] Rugby union career
- 1979-80 Royals
- 1979-82 Australia 13 Tests
- 1981-82 Teachers North, QLD
A superb centre who possessed an array of natural talents and established a host of point scoring records at Test level. Originally from Canberra, O'Connor toured with the Australian Rugby Union Schoolboys in 1977. His club rugby career was with the Canberra Royals Club, then Teachers Queensland.
He was first selected for the Wallabies in 1979, a few months ahead of Mark Ella and O'Connor's other prodigious teammates from the 1977 Australian schoolboys such as Tony Melrose, Michael Hawker and Glen and Gary Ella. With a number of those players he was a young starter in the 1980 Wallaby side which won the Bledisloe Cup in Sydney in the 3rd and deciding game that year. O'Connor scored a try in this game marking his ascendancy in representative rugby coinciding with a re-birth of Australian rugby and the beginning of a golden period through to the Grand Slam achievement of 1984.
He made 12 Wallaby appearances at Centre up till the July 1982 Test against Scotland.
[edit] Rugby league career
- 1983-1986 St. George 71 Games
- 1985-90 Australia 17 Tests
- 1986-91 NSW 19 Games
- 1987-92 Manly 116 Games
O'Connor switched to Rugby League signing with St George in 1983. He made his State of Origin debut for New South Wales two years later. He is remembered in State of Origin folklore for a sideline conversion in teeming rain after the final siren to win the 2nd game of the 1991 series. Many of his international rugby league appearances were as a winger, such was the depth of the three-quarter talent available to the Australian selectors during his era.
His international rugby league debut in the 1st Test against New Zealand in Auckland in July 1986 saw him become Australia's 37th dual code rugby international following Ray Price and preceding Ricky Stuart.
At the end of the 1992 season, still on top and producing his best as captain of Manly, O'Connor announced his retirement.
After retirement as a player O'Connor had administrative roles with both the Australian Rugby League and then the Australian Rugby Union. He was the ARU's Talent Identification Coordinator for a number of years. In 2006 O'Connor was appointed as a Wallaby Selector filling the independent role on the selection panel, along with Head Coach John Connolly and Attack Coach Scott Johnson.
